The following scenario options are based on the following details of a fictional
community and school – Barvel Central School (BCS).
Important information and major issues are underlined. Feel free to underline more.
The School
Barvel Central School is based in the community of Barvel, Victoria. Barvel is located 60
kilometres from Geelong with a population of approximately 1500. Barvel is
predominantly a farming community although the community does support a number of
small businesses typical of rural areas. The population of the community fluctuates
regularly due to itinerant workers who arrive in Barvel for harvest work. The school is
classified as located in one of the lowest socio-economic brackets in the state as judged
by ABS census data.
The school caters for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 and supports a student
population of approximately 128 students (77 primary school students, 51 high school
students). Enrolments at BCS, like the community population, fluctuate during harvest
season when children of itinerant workers enrol for short periods of time. The student
population has a majority of students from an Anglo-Celtic background, and
approximately 12 students who identify themselves as having an Aboriginal background.
In recent years, a number of recently arrived students who speak English as a second
language have also enrolled in the school. While language barriers were evident upon
their arrival at the school, the students have become more proficient with English,
although some challenges still exist in terms of effective communication between
students, peers and teachers.
Primary students are organised in the following way:
Primary years
Preparatory – 22 students
Year 1 to Year 2 – 20 students
Year 3 to Year 4 – 23 students Years 4, 5, and 6 – 12 students
Secondary years
Year 7 – 6 students
Year 8 – 10 students
Year 9 – 14 students
Year 10 – 10 students Year 11 – 5 students Year 12 – 6 students
Due to a range of factors, primary school enrolments have dropped in recent years, with
some students being sent to boarding school in year 6. Consistent with other schools in
the area, boys at the school tend to leave school early, while girls tend to stay and then
move to universities to pursue their education. Some boys are resistant to schooling in the
later senior years, andlook for apprenticeships and other work opportunities in the
community. The community is on the whole supportive of the school with generally good
relationships developed with most parents.
The classroom
In terms of curriculum, staff who are teaching in the primary years have spent much time
developing their individual programs. The programmes that teachers have developed
involve some cross-curricular links, and some have developed an integrated approach to
curriculum planning to support student learning. In addition, some of the teachers have
put an emphasis on the principles of Productive Pedagogies as way of guiding changes to
their teaching practices, and as a way of talking about what they are doing in their
classrooms. The school is well resourced in terms of technology, with each primary classroom having
6 computers as well as a SmartBoard.
The teachers
The school is currently staffed by 14 teachers and leadership. The school staff includes
one principal, two deputy principals (one who deals with primary years and one who
deals with secondary years), four full time staff teaching in the primary years, and six full
time staff teaching in the secondary years.
Scenario Option 2: MySchool
As a result of comparisons made on MySchool website, some concern has been raised by
the local community about the performance of students on the NAPLAN tests (see http://www.myschool.edu.au/). In a Victorian newspaper, BCS has been identified along
with other schools in a large article that has questioned the quality of teaching in the
State’s schools. Develop a policy response that outlines the steps the school will take to
address this perceived decline/lack in teaching quality.
Expectation
It is expected that you will:
Identify and present a discussion of the key issues that surround the scenario;
Present an outline of the planned actions that aim to address the issues
Elaborate on how these actions will be implemented in the school;
Outline how actions that follow the policy response will be evaluated;
The following scenario options are based on the following details of a fictional
community and school – Barvel Central School (BCS).
Important information and major issues are underlined. Feel free to underline more.
The School
Barvel Central School is based in the community of Barvel, Victoria. Barvel is located 60
kilometres from Geelong with a population of approximately 1500. Barvel is
predominantly a farming community although the community does support a number of
small businesses typical of rural areas. The population of the community fluctuates
regularly due to itinerant workers who arrive in Barvel for harvest work. The school is
classified as located in one of the lowest socio-economic brackets in the state as judged
by ABS census data.
The school caters for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 and supports a student
population of approximately 128 students (77 primary school students, 51 high school
students). Enrolments at BCS, like the community population, fluctuate during harvest
season when children of itinerant workers enrol for short periods of time. The student
population has a majority of students from an Anglo-Celtic background, and
approximately 12 students who identify themselves as having an Aboriginal background.
In recent years, a number of recently arrived students who speak English as a second
language have also enrolled in the school. While language barriers were evident upon
their arrival at the school, the students have become more proficient with English,
although some challenges still exist in terms of effective communication between
students, peers and teachers.
Primary students are organised in the following way:
Primary years
Preparatory – 22 students
Year 1 to Year 2 – 20 students
Year 3 to Year 4 – 23 students
Years 4, 5, and 6 – 12 students
Secondary years
Year 7 – 6 students
Year 8 – 10 students
Year 9 – 14 students
Year 10 – 10 students
Year 11 – 5 students
Year 12 – 6 students
Due to a range of factors, primary school enrolments have dropped in recent years, with
some students being sent to boarding school in year 6. Consistent with other schools in
the area, boys at the school tend to leave school early, while girls tend to stay and then
move to universities to pursue their education. Some boys are resistant to schooling in the
later senior years, and look for apprenticeships and other work opportunities in the
community. The community is on the whole supportive of the school with generally good
relationships developed with most parents.
The classroom
In terms of curriculum, staff who are teaching in the primary years have spent much time
developing their individual programs. The programmes that teachers have developed
involve some cross-curricular links, and some have developed an integrated approach to
curriculum planning to support student learning. In addition, some of the teachers have
put an emphasis on the principles of Productive Pedagogies as way of guiding changes to
their teaching practices, and as a way of talking about what they are doing in their
classrooms.
The school is well resourced in terms of technology, with each primary classroom having
6 computers as well as a SmartBoard.
The teachers
The school is currently staffed by 14 teachers and leadership. The school staff includes
one principal, two deputy principals (one who deals with primary years and one who
deals with secondary years), four full time staff teaching in the primary years, and six full
time staff teaching in the secondary years.
Scenario Option 2: MySchool
As a result of comparisons made on MySchool website, some concern has been raised by
the local community about the performance of students on the NAPLAN tests (see
http://www.myschool.edu.au/). In a Victorian newspaper, BCS has been identified along
with other schools in a large article that has questioned the quality of teaching in the
State’s schools. Develop a policy response that outlines the steps the school will take to
address this perceived decline/lack in teaching quality.
Expectation
It is expected that you will: